Point Pleasant Beach Offshore Powerboat Race Canceled Amid Smoke, Air Quality Issues

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — The Point Pleasant Beach Offshore Grand Prix has been canceled this weekend due to the effects of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

The cancellation of the offshore powerboat race weekend was announced by the Offshore Powerboat Association, which said it was making the decision because of a multitude of issues caused by the smoke.

"The developing situation with smoke, visibility, travel delays and air quality alerts due to the Canadian wildfires has caused significant problems along the East Coast, specifically for the event and town, all of which are outside of OPA’s control," the announcement said. "Safety for our teams and fans are number one and when we’re this close to a great event start this decision hurts."

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra said he was saddened that the race was being canceled.

"I understand that safety for the racers must come first," Kanitra said.

"Obviously, there was a major tragedy a few years ago that highlighted the risks the competitors take," he said, referring to a crash during the race in 2017 that killed a racer from Ocean County.

"As a result of these massive wildfires and accompanying smoke, my understanding is that the helicopters were not going to have the guaranteed visibility needed to ensure safe operation and response times," Kanitra said.

OPA officials said there is still an opportunity to reschedule the race but did not provide any details of when that might happen.

"I sincerely hope it can be rescheduled and will offer all available resources from Town Hall to OPA in order to try and get that done," Kanitra said.

The race festivities were set to begin Friday with the racers arriving, and the schedule included a full day of viewing the boats on Saturday, with the races on Sunday.

"We’d like to thank NJ Offshore for their unrelenting support, and tireless work in conjunction with the borough of Point Pleasant Beach," the statement said.

The National Weather Service said the smoke is anticipated to linger through the weekend, with unhealthy Air Quality Index levels, and may not clear completely until Friday or Saturday.

Note: This article has been updated with comment from Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra.